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Definition 2024

海嘯

海嘯

See also: 海啸

Chinese

ocean; sea to hiss; to whistle
trad. (海嘯) 海 嘯
simp. (海啸) 海 啸

Noun

海嘯

  1. tsunami

Synonyms

  • 海漲／海涨

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (海嘯):

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
海 嘯
かい
Grade: 2 		しょう
Hyōgaiji
on'yomi

/kaiseu/ → /kaiɕeu/ → /kaiɕoː/

From Middle Chinese compound 海嘯 ‎(xojX sewH, literally “sea, ocean + to roar, to wail”), with the latter character in reference to the sound of the rushing water during a tidal bore. Compare modern Mandarin reading hǎixiào.

Pronunciation

Noun

海嘯 ‎(hiragana かいしょう, romaji kaishō, historical hiragana かいせう)

  1. a tidal bore
  2. a tsunami, a tidal wave

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
海 嘯
Grade: 2 Hyōgaiji
Irregular

Compound of 津 ‎(tsu, “cove, inlet, outlet”) +‎ 波 ‎(nami, “wave”).[3][1]

The spelling is ateji (当て字), probably as the result of applying the spelling for the Chinese-derived term kaishō to the native Japanese term tsunami, given the superficial similarity of a tidal bore to a tsunami.

Pronunciation

Alternative forms

Noun

海嘯 ‎(hiragana つなみ, romaji tsunami)

  1. Alternative spelling of 津波: (hydrology, less common) a tidal bore
  2. Alternative spelling of 津波: (oceanography) a tsunami, a tidal wave
Synonyms
  • (tidal bore): 潮津波 (しおつなみ) ‎(shio tsunami)

References

  1. 1 2 3 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
  2. 1 2 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13143-0
  3. ↑ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  4. ↑ 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, ISBN 978-4-14-011112-3

Pronunciation

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